Space divider or partition



April 15, 1969 J. CATALANO 3,438,421

' SPACE DIVIDER 0R PARTITION Filed Sept. 7, 1967 Q, fljse vi/ yfwfd April 15, 1969 J. CATALANO SPACE DIVIDER 0R PARTITION Sheet 2 015 Filed Sept. 7, 1967 fizz/enfor- QL'SE Z c0101 y'ywlflf 5 m g a April 15, 1969 J CATALANO I 3,438,421

SPACE DIVIDER OR PARTITION Filed Sept. 7, 1967 Sheet 3 of 3 fnz/enfiar- 01959014 United States Patent 3,438,421 SPACE DIVIDER 0R PARTITION Joseph Catalano, 1218 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60622 Filed Sept. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 666,124 Int. Cl. E06b 3/92; A47g /00; A47h 7/00 US. Cl. 160-161 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Divider or partition including pivotally interconnected strips, a pair of inner sets of strips and a pair of outer sets of strips, the inner sets being undulated, and the outer sets being spaced apart thereby in direction perpendicular to the main plane of the device.

CROSS REFERENCES Catalano Patent No. 2,990,880, dated July 4, 1961.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Dividers and partitions that may be used for dividing rooms, for blocking off passageways, or for closing doorways.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An extensible and contractible mesh including specially shaped inner sets of pivoted strips, to provide strength and pleasing appearances, also means for supporting the mesh stably in vertical position, and means for securing the device to fixtures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a view of a divider or partition made according to the present invention, and shown in extended position, this view being principally from the side, but having a slight perspective attitude;

FIGURE 2 is an end view taken at line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side or face view, in contracted position;

FIGURE 4 is a large scale view taken at line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a divider or partition made up of a plurality of articulated sections;

FIGURE 6 is a view oriented according to FIGURE 4 showing an arrangement for locking one end of the partition to a fixture;

FIGURE 7 is a top view of an articulated joint in the divider of FIGURE 5, showing relative positioning of adjacent panels in a first direction;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing the sections in a difierent position;

FIGURE 9 is a detail view of a carriage utilized in the divider of FIGURE 5 and oriented generally as indicated by the arrow 9 in that figure;

FIGURE 10 is a view taken at line 10-10 of FIG- URE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a view showing a single caster support which may be used interchangeably with the carriage of FIGURES 9 and 10;

FIGURE 12 is a view taken at line 12-12 of FIG- URE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a semi-diagrammatic view of the device of the invention utilized in closing a doorway;

FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 but showing the use of the device for indicating a closed passageway rather than fully barricading it;

FIGURE 15 is a semi-diagrammatic view, in plan,

3,438,421 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 indicating ditferent uses of the device of the invention; FIGURE 16 is a side view of the device to which a drape is applied; and

FIGURE 17 is a large scale, detail sectional view taken at line 1717 of FIGURE 16.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The divider or partition of the present invention is made up of a plurality of strips pivotally interconnected and arranged for extension and contraction. The device is included in the broad group of devices well known as folding gates, but which are more properly designated as extensible and contractible devices.

The divider of the present invention includes two pairs of sets of strips, and as such is included in the broad concept covered by the above mentioned patent. The device of that patent includes a pair of inner, or main, sets of strips which are pivotally interconnected and a pair of outer, or auxiliary sets of strips applied to the outer sides of the inner strips and pivotally connected thereto. The device of the present invention differs from the device of that patent in the special construction of the inner sets of strips and in other features as will be referred to hereinbelow.

Referring first to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the divider or partition includes a mesh 20 having a pair of inner sets 22, 24 of strips and a pair of outer sets 26, 28 of strips pivotally interconnected with the strips of the respective inner sets. The strips of each set are parallel; those of the sets 22, 24 are at a mutual angle, and those of the sets 26, 28 are at the same mutual angle. The strips of the set 26 are parallel with the strips of the set 24- while being at an angle to the strips of the sets 22, 28; conversely the strips 28 are parallel with the strips of the set 22, but at an angle relative to the strips 24, 26.

The strips of the sets 22, 24 are of undulating or bent form, each having inner elements 30, and outer elements 32 forming the extremities of the bends or bights 34. The elements 30 of the intersecting strips are pivotally connected together by suitable means such as rivets 36.

The strips of the outer sets 26, 28 are preferably straight and are pivotally interconnected with the strips of the inner sets at the elembents 32 which are the points of intersection between the adjacent strips. In this case also the pivotal interconnection is formed by suitable means such as rivets 38.

When the mesh is contracted, the strips in each set are in side-by-side engagement, as shown in FIGURE 3, and the angle between the strips of the different sets is at a minimum, and when the mesh is extended as shown in FIGURE 1 a wide angle is formed between the strips.

The amount of displacement, or the extent of the bights 34 in transverse direction may be as desired as will be understood, but in a practical construction it has been found that a total displacement, or overall thickness of the mesh, as measured between the opposite elements 3 2 may be in the neighborhood of 4 or 5 inches for a mesh that is in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 feet tall. For greater sizes of dividers, this transverse width, or thickness, may of course be increased. The character of the strips them selves may also be as desired, but I have found that they may be of minimum cross sectional dimensions and still possess unusual strength, because of the strength imparted by the bent shape of the strips of the inner sets. In a divider of the overall dimensions referred to above, strips of /2" width and A2" thickness have been found to provide unusually great strength. The bent or bowed inner strips are prevented from flattening or at least the tendency to flatten is greatly resisted, by the tensile strength provided by the strips of the outer sets which, is noted above, are straight. Any tendency to bending the mesh is also greatly resisted by the same phenomenon, namely the tensile strength of the strips of the outer sets. The strips of the outer sets, being at a different angle relative to each other, as noted above, provide an interaction in imparting strength to the mesh, the sets of each strip being effective throughout a substantial angular range with the result that there is practically no range or area with respect to bending or flattening of the mesh in which one or the other of the outer sets of strips is not highly effective.

The mesh provides an unusually pleasing appearance. It has great texture i.e., great depth in direction transverse to the main plane. Also the bent shape of the strips of the inner sets are evident from any angle of view, whether the mesh is viewed directly perpendicularly or at an acute angle, since even a very slight angle of view provided by the points only slightly removed from the perpendicular line of sight provide the bent undulating effect. Additionally even if the bent strips are viewed head-on, the high lights and shadows point up and make evident the undulating appearance of those strips. The overall effect is a complete lacy-ness having unusual texture and great depth.

At each end of the mesh is a rail 40 which may be of any of various kinds but preferably is in the form of a channel shown in FIGURE 4. This channel may be mounted on a fixture 42 which may be a Wall, post, etc. or it may be arranged for complete mobility and portability as referred to below. The channel may be secured to the wall element as by screws 44. A slider 46 provides the interconnection between the mesh and the rail. The slider includes a body 48 which may be merely a plate mounted in the channel, and a lug or leaf 50 secured thereto as by a welding, extending perpendicularly from the plane of the body.

Adjacent ones of the strips which in this case are of the inner sets 22, 24 receive the lug 50 therebetween and are pivotally connected thereto as by the rivets '52. A set screw 54 is provided at least in certain of the sliders, threaded in a tapped hole in the plate and turned into an aperture in the channel or rail. A plurality of sliders 46 are provided and one of them is anchored or fixed in place to locate the mesh in vertical position while the others are permitted to slide in the channel to accommodate the variations in height in the extension and contraction of the mesh.

An arrangement as shown in FIGURE 4 may be utilized for permanently mounting one end of the device on a wall, and for use in conjunction therewith a releaseably locking arrangement shown in FIGURE 6 may be utilized. In FIGURE 6, the rail 40' is used in conjunction with a mounting strip or device 56 which may be identical in construction with the rail, and secured to the wall element. A lock 58 of known kind is mounted in an aperture 59 in the rail 40, removably so if desired, and the rail 40 is butted against the mounting strip 56; the lock is inserted through the aperture, a collar 60 engages the rail and the lock pin 61 is engaged with the inner surface of the flanges on the strip 56.

FIGURE shows a divider, indicated in its entirety at 62 made up of a plurality of panels 63, each of which is made according to the construction described above and each having a rail 40 at each side edge. The panels are secured together by double hinge arrangements shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, including a hinge 64 of known kind between adjacent panels, enabling the panels to swing in either direction.

The divider is preferably mounted on wheeled supports which may include both carriages 65 (FIGURES 9 and 10) and single-caster supports 66 (FIGURES 11 and 1-2). The carriage 64 includes a main body member 68 which may be an angle, a bar, etc. on which are mounted casters 70 at the ends. A lug 72 is secured to the body 68 as by welding and extends upwardly therefrom and is fitted in the lower end of the rail 40 and secured in place by a 4 set screw '54 as described above. The single caster construction of FIGURES 11 and 12 includes a caster on which is secured the lug 72 fitted in the lower end of the rail and in this case also secured in place by the set screw 54.

One or more carriages 64 may 'be used in a divider 60 for stabilizing the divider when the panels are straight, or disposed in a common plane. In such case the carriages are perpendicular to that plane, and may be of the desired length for stabilizing the divider. However it is not necessary to utilize carriages at all of the points of connection, or ends of the divider, the single caster devices of FIGURES l1 and 12, being utilized in at least some of the instances. Although the divider may be arranged as shown in FIGURE 5 where the positioning of the panels would stabilize the divider, one or more carriages 64 may be used nevertheless, so as to render the divider more flexible in that it may be used selectively in a common plane or other position, and in all cases it would be stably supported.

The divider or partition of the invention lends itself to mass production, and great flexibility in makeup and use. The panels 63 may all be all identical, of a suitable size for facilitating manufacture and handling. The customer selects the number of such panels to provide the desired ultimate divider or partition according to the dimensions required. He then selects accessories accordingly, i.e., one or more carriages 64 and the desired number of single caster units 66; similarly he secures the desired number of the hinge means 64 shown in FIG- URES 7 and 8 for securing adjacent panels together, when more than one panel is desired; additionally he selects the desired number of mounting strips 56 (FIG- URE 6) if he wishes to releaseably lock the free edge to the doorway. The various components thus selected are assembled in the intended manner.

FIGURE 15 shows different manners in which the divider may be utilized. In this figure a room is indicated at 74, as viewed in plan and a divider 62 is shown in full lines isolating a corner portion 76 of the total space of the room. The panels are individually identified 63a and 631), these panels being mutually perpendicular and correspondingly perpendicular to the walls of the corner of the room. The panel 63b may be swung out to the dot-dash line position for isolating and end portion of the space of the room including the portion 76 and the portion 78. In these two situations just referred to, the ends of the panels may be secured to the room to the walls of the room, or not, as desired.

Also in FIGURE 15, at 62a is indicated an arrangement in which a space is isolated in the middle of a larger space. In this space the divider is made up of four panels 63 which are arranged in a rectangle, the divider being self supporting when away from the defining walls of the room.

FIGURE 13 indicates the device as being mounted on the side posts of a doorway, this arrangement serving to literally prevent anyone from walking through the doorway. However it may be desired to put up indicators or guides to indicate a path, rather than to constitute absolute barriers and in such a case a divider may be utilized as represented in FIGURE 14. In this case the divider 62, although positioned in a doorway is not secured thereto, being completely portable and provided with carriages 65 for stably supporting it since it lies in a common plane.

If it should be desired to close a space to view, as well as passage thereinto, a construction and arrangement shown in FIGURES 16 and 17 may be utilized. In this instance drapes 80 may be mounted on the mesh, either on one side or on both sides, as desired. The drapes may be provided with hooks 82 of known kind fitted in apertures in extensions 84 of the rivets 38 adjacent the top of the mesh. These extensions 84 need not be long and if the drapes are not to be used, those extensions are completely inconspicuous and practically unnoticeable. The drapes are of course flexible and fold when the mesh is contracted.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character disclosed comprising a mesh including an inner pair of sets of strips, those strips in each set being parallel and being at an angle to those in the other set, and pivotally connected with those of the other set, an outer pair of sets of strips, those strips in each outer set being parallel and being at an angle to those in the other outer set, and additionally being at an angle to those strips of the adjacent inner set, the strips of the outer sets being pivotally connected with those in the respectively adjacent inner sets, the strips being interconnected at a plurality of points along each of the strips, the strips of the inner sets having a normal thickness and having portions mutually displaced a substantial extent in transplanar directions including adjacent inner portions by which the strips of the inner sets are interconnected, and outer portions by which the strip of the inner sets are connected with the strips of the outer sets, whereby the strips of the inner set are of substantial efiective thickness in trans-planar direction and the outer sets are correspondingly spaced apart.

2. The invention set out in claim 1 wherein the strips of the inner sets are generally of undulating shape.

3. The invention set out in claim 1 wherein the strips of the outer sets are substantially straight.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 684,130 10/1901 Taubert. 1,502,833 7/ 1924 Kitzelman 160-460 1,782,203 11/1930 I-Ianley 160135 X 2,990,880 7/1961 Catalano et a1 160162 3,145,766 8/1964 Wickham et al 160-435 3,285,323 11/1966 Catalano 1 -152 FOREIGN PATENTS 168,554 9/1921 Great Britain.

PETER M. CAU-N, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. l35, 350 

